Gilles Peterson announced on his show this morning that he was going to do a special show to celebrate Ninja Tunes’ 20th Birthday “as one of the most consistant labels” but there’s lots more than that going on!

“It doesn’t sound like folks these days have much fun creating anymore. They are too concerned with being ‘deep’. For God’s sake, I wish they would just have a little fun and not take themselves so seriously…”

Independently released on PEAK Records in the USA, this incredible vocalist LaToya London put out her debut album Love & Life after her time on American Idol. Unfortunately, it didn’t sell in large numbers but that hasn’t put her off

Carnaval S?? Ano que Vem is the first recording by eighteen-piece Orquestra Imperial since they appeared as a live collective some five years ago, electrifying audiences from the Brazilian carnavals to the London Barbican. Brazil’s neo-samba super group offer a fresh retrospective on the Big Band Gafieira sound, transporting Rio’s 1950′s dancehalls to the modern age. The outcome is an album of infectious, melodic samba, which has the carnaval spirit at its heart, while at the same time acting as a cornerstone for the new wave of Brazilian reinvention

Starring Mia Maestro and Ruben Blades, the film Secuestro Express tells the story of a wealthy young Caracas couple who are kidnapped by three delinquents as they leave a party. Venezuelan director Jonathan Jakubowicz talked to JosÈ Orozco, Fly’s Caracas correspondent, about making fast movies, being a Latin American director in Hollywood, and the artist’s role in Venezuela’s future.